Vegan Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ever since the vegan cookie exchange last December, I've wanted to tackle making these. After getting to scoop on how my friend Betsy made the "hershey" kisses, I decided to try making my own vegan peanut butter blossoms. It is a modification on my peanut butter cookie recipe.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar + 2-3 Tbsp. sugar to coat cookies

1/3 cup apple sauce or 2 Ener-G Egg replacer eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery sticks

2 dozen vegan "hershey" kisses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine the margarine and sugars until creamy. Add in applesauce or egg replacer and vanilla, and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until the ingredients are uniformly distributed. 

Once cookie dough is ready, roll into 1 inch size balls. Roll in sugar until completely coated. Leave in ball shape and place on cookie sheet two inches apart. Cook in oven for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown on edges. After removing from oven, immediately top with vegan "hershey" kisses. The chocolate will melt and attach to the cookie. Allow to cool so chocolate can reset. Place in refrigerator to speed up the process if you like.

Vegan "Hershey" Kisses

Do you ever miss having delicious "hershey" chocolate kisses? If you are like me and wish you could have them again, look no further. This past Christmas at our vegan cookie exchange, my friend Betsy made peanut butter blossoms. I inquired into how she made the kisses. I've been meaning to try it out, and finally got around to it this week.

Below are instructions to make them yourself using a microwave or stove-top method. You can choose whichever you prefer. 

Vegan "Hershey" Kisses

5 oz. Semi-sweet Baker's Chocolate or vegan chocolate chips

Parchment Paper

Stove-top Instructions: 

Start by melting three-quarters of the chocolate on the stove using a double broiler. I heat a small amount of water in a larger sauce pan, and melt the chocolate in a smaller pan nested in the larger one. DO NOT let water get into your chocolate, as it will seize up the chocolate. Once it is melted well, take it off of the burner and add the remaining chocolate. This tempers the chocolate, so it dries with a nice shiny finish.

Next add the chocolate to a pastry piping bag. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pipe the kiss onto the paper like you are creating a large dot. Continue to pipe it out of the bag, while slowing lifting up to create the "hershey" kiss shape. Continue with the remaining chocolate until you run out. It will make approximately 2 dozen kisses, depending on the size you make.

Microwave instructions:

Add 3/4 of the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl, and heat for 30 seconds. Take chocolate out and stir. Continue to repeat this step in 30 second increments until the chocolate is completely melted. DO NOT cook in increments longer than 30 seconds or you run the risk of burning the chocolate. Add the remaining chocolate and let it sit for a minute until the warm chocolate has melted it. This tempers the chocolate, so it dries with a nice shiny finish. 

Next add the chocolate to a pastry piping bag. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pipe the kiss onto the paper like you are creating a large dot. Continue to pipe it out of the bag, while slowing lifting up to create the "hershey" kiss shape. Continue with the remaining chocolate until you run out. It will make approximately 2 dozen kisses, depending on the size you make.

Vegan Chocolate Maple Owl Birthday Cake

Somehow I forgot to share the birthday cake I made for my daughter's first birthday. It was a lot of fun, and was easy to decorate. The only challenge was piping on a the Happy Birthday message vertically. Alas, it wasn't my greatest work, but I don't think my daughter cared.

I found this idea at Parenting, and added my personal touches to it. My daughter loved the cake, and still asks to see pictures of it. Elliott immediately announced that he wanted one for his birthday. Since he has requested construction cakes the past two years, I am not so sure he will stick with his request. Either way, it was a compliment considering his preferences.

If you are interested in the details: the beak and feet are made from runts, the eyes are Oreos with miniature Oreos for the pupils, the bow is marzipan with food coloring worked in, mini pretzels made up the nest, and the ear tufts are Oreos split in half.